Enterprise chief says tourism is ‘crucial’ to Highlands and Islands

Charlotte Wright highlighted efforts to promote responsible tourism and referred to HIE’s support for community groups. Image: Ewen Weatherspoon / HIE

The executive director of Highlands and Islands Enterprise has highlighted the “critical” importance of tourism to the region’s economy.

Charlotte Wright insisted that lessons had been learned from last summer when there were reports of antisocial behavior in many parts of the north following an influx of visitors.

She highlighted efforts to promote responsible tourism and indicated that the development agency had helped community groups improve facilities for vacationers.

Ms. Wright said, “Tourism is vital to the entire highlands and islands, and it is really important that we do everything right.

“In light of the lessons learned last year, agencies have tried to respond so that VisitScotland partners and others promote responsible tourism. Agencies like the Highland Council employ more rangers so they are especially out on the hotspots to encourage people to behave.

“We have helped community groups improve some of the facilities available so that things are managed responsibly and community groups can get some income back.

“I think that helped change the approach. When communities can see that they can take control and help manage this situation, and actually take some back from it, it helps.

“We need tourism in the highlands and on the islands. Our economy depends so much on it that it is vital that we respond properly and help our businesses and communities provide the right answers. “

Ms. Wright spoke after she and other high-ranking figures from HIE attended a board meeting with corporations, community groups and representative bodies from Caithness and Sutherland to see how they have adapted over the past year and beyond.

She stressed that no one wants to see a repeat of some of the issues reported in 2020 such as dirty camping, outdoor toilets, rubbish and reckless parking.

“Let’s hope people learned because we saw bad behavior last year. We absolutely don’t want to see it repeat, “she said.

“There was a lot more cooperation in all responsible agencies in order to master the challenges for this year.”

Ms. Wright noted that leading up to summer tourism appeared to be “a bit sketchy”.

She said, “I think people see a lot of RVs on the North Coast 500 so it definitely happens, but not all operators report that they are still 100 percent busy. I think we have yet to see how things develop with international and other trips.

“We need to make the most of this opportunity because our tourism companies have now had a terrible 15 months and a long way to go to recover.”

Eann Sinclair, HIE area manager, noted that community trust in some areas is doing its part to improve visitor services.

“It was good in Caithness, but in Sutherland it was particularly clear that the anchor organizations we are talking about are actually the same organizations that have a tourism dimension to their work – they are usually small development companies, “Sinclair said,” As we go into recovery, I can already see their work on the ground – whether it’s setting up RVs on the west coast or providing small accommodation pods, things like that. So it starts working.

“We have also invested in a three-year program with Venture North as the target management organization to coordinate some of that effort on the ground.”

HIE Chairman Alistair Dodds spoke of the importance of a partnership approach.

“It is very important to emphasize that we have worked with others,” he said. “We met with the Highland Council and it wasn’t just about creating a new plan – it was actually about providing resources.”

“We have invested a million and a half in projects in the Highlands and Islands, and the Highland Council has also invested money – not just income for rangers, but also for capital projects.

“I think it’s that way of working together instead of just talking about things that made a difference.”

In April, the Highland Council Tourism Committee approved a visitor management plan for 2021 designed to help communities and the public during the summer months. Measures include ranger posts with seasonal access in some of the most visited locations to connect with visitors and encourage responsible behavior.

Ms. Wright recently announced that she will be stepping down from her role this summer for personal reasons after running the development agency for the past five years. She has had a 24-year career at HIE.

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